Former Hornet and current NASA flight
controller to speak on campus

A former Sacramento State student, who now works for NASA, will present a lecture titled, "Houston, We Have a Problem: An Inside Look at NASA Flight Control,” 4 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 20, in Mendocino Hall, room1015.

Heidi Poppelreiter, a physics major here from 2001 to 2003, is a rendezvous flight controller at the Johnson Space Center (JSC), Houston, Texas.

Her lecture will focus on her experiences as a flight controller for the International Space Station. As a flight controller, she supports rendezvous and docking operations of space vehicles visiting the station. She is responsible for monitoring spacecraft from orbit insertion up to docking with the station.

“A space mission is only as successful as its flight control team. In my year and a half at JSC, I've gained a wealth of knowledge about the busy and always exciting business of space travel,” she says.

Poppelreiter is a Sacramento area native. She attended Casa Roble High School in Orangevale before attending Sacramento State. She transferred to Purdue University in 2004 and graduated in spring 2006 with a bachelor’s of science degree in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering. She is currently working on a master’s degree in physics and planetary science.

The lecture is free and open to the public.

For more information on the lecture, contact the Department of Astronomy and Physics at (916) 278-6518. For media assistance, contact Sacramento State’s Public Affairs office at (916) 278-6156.